Julian Benbow

3 weeks ago | bostonglobe.com | Julian Benbow

The hoodie Caitlin Clark wore Tuesday as she watched the Indiana Fever’s win over the Washington Mystics from the sideline was a not-so-humble humble brag. The Fever’s preferred shade of red is already bold, but the six-word slogan on the back of their team hoodie ― which started as social media bravado then turned into merch ― was what was meant to pop. “Every game is a home game.”Yes, the Fever are leaning into the Caitlin Clark Effect.

1 month ago | bostonglobe.com | Julian Benbow

At the start of the season, no one needed a shoulder to lean on more than rookie Saniya Rivers. The six-week span from Rivers’s Sweet 16 run with N.C. State to her WNBA debut last week felt like a blur. In between, she experienced the euphoria of being drafted eighth overall and the grief of losing her 47-year-old mother, Demetria, shortly after. At 22, Saniya had to process not only starting her career, but doing it without her mother.

1 month ago | bostonglobe.com | Julian Benbow

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — The Connecticut Sun moved into a new era in the offseason. Part of the plan required gutting its starting five from a year ago. One of the pieces still on the roster from the team that came within a game of the WNBA Finals was Marina Mabrey — and looking at all the changes the Sun made, even she asked for a trade. Sun president Jennifer Rizzotti made it clear that they had no plans to move her — even as her agent pushed for it.

1 month ago | bostonglobe.com | Julian Benbow

Certain nights create a different kind of juice in the ballpark. Alex Cora had the sense that Friday would be one of those nights. Former Red Sox ace Chris Sale was back at Fenway Park for the first time since being traded in 2023. The Sox, coming off losing four of six on the road, were sending their current ace, Garrett Crochet, to the mound to duel against Sale to bust the slump. Plus, the unveiling of the “Fenway Green” City Connect jerseys added a special flair.

1 month ago | bostonglobe.com | Julian Benbow

Alex Cora still remembers sitting down with Chris Sale and David Price before Game 4 of the 2018 World Series and laying out the plan for how they wanted to close out the series. If the Sox had lost Game 4, Sale would’ve been the Game 5 starter. The series would’ve been tied, the Sox would’ve been playing a swing game on the road, and Cora saw Sale as the best option to keep the Sox from being pushed to the brink. “We needed to,” Cora said.